How To Disable Bixby On Samsung Galaxy S8

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Samsung's about to launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, with the firm having issued invitations to its offical launch event on February 25 - taking place just a day ahead of the MWC 2018 expo in Barcelona, Spain. Rest assured, the Galaxy S9 series will, just like the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8, feature the firm's Bixby AI assistant and the dedicated Bixby key.

We know this as we've seen plenty of leaks and renders of the final design, and they all show the Bixby key in more or less the same location as on last year's handsets.

Samsung's 2017 line-up was quite compelling - we are rather fond of all three of its flagships.

There's a lot to like about these phones, from the specs, to the overall design, the display, the processor hardware and performance, the battery life, and the camera experience. On the whole it's one corker of a compelling package.

But there is one thing that's kind of annoying; the Bixby key.

Personally I'm not a massive fan of Bixby itself, but at the same time I don't begrudge it being on these phones. It's very much take it or leave it, I don't like AI assistants generally so I'd rather just leave them alone and use the phone as is.

Here's the thing though, the Bixby key, while well-placed if you actually want to use Bixby, becomes the biggest nuisance in the world if you have no interest in it. In fact, I'd wager that even if you did want to use Bixby, this would still be a problem.

Seriously, the Bixby key gets bumped ALL the time, I repeat; ALL THE TIME. It happens while the phone is in your pocket (and it bypasses the lock screen), as you're taking it out, when you're just using apps or browsing the web, in the middle of Youtube videos, when you pick the phone up off the table, and when you're taking photos or video.

Basically, whenever is least convenient, you can be sure you'll inadvertently give that Bixby key a little tap and, hey-ho, whatever you were doing doesn't matter because Bixby is taking over now. 

Again, even if you want to use Bixby, this would surely be irritating to have it regularly override anything else you're doing just because you bumped the easily-bumpable key.

Sure, it takes a second to close Bixby again and get back to what you're doing, but trust me, the frequency is what is so irritating. I'm not alone in this annoyance, which is why Samsung has responded to the MANY user complaints by issuing a fix in a software update. It is now quick and easy to turn the Bixby key off.

Note that you're not disabling Bixby full stop; the service is still accessible by other means inside the OS, you're just turning off that button so it doesn't trigger Bixby at every chance it gets.

So, read on below to find out how to disable the Bixby key.

How To Turn Off The Bixby Key

Remember, this works on the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8.

First things first, you'll need to make sure you have the version of Samsung's software which contains the option to toggle Bixby. In general it is easiest to just make sure you're updated to the latest software build for your phone.

In the UK we are able to confirm that this works for the Samsung Galaxy S8+ running software version G955FXXU1AQD9/G955FOXM1AQD9/G955FXXU1AQD9.

Your best bet is to go into Settings, then go to Software Update and tap Download updates manually; the phone will then check and tell you if you have the latest software, if you don't, it should prompt you to download (tip: do this over Wi-Fi).

You can also head to the Samsung App Store and update the Bixby app manually.

Once you're sure you're on the latest software you can now go on to the next step, which is to boot up Bixby - your quickest route here is, you guessed it, pressing the Bixby key!

If you're reading this article we doubt you're unaware of which key the Bixby key is, but just to be sure, it's on the left-hand side of the phone, below the volume rocker.

Once Bixby is running, go to the top of the screen and tap the "cog" icon. This should present an option labelled Bixby key which you can toggle on or off. Toggle it off to disable the Bixby key.

An Alternative

  • If you don't see this option, instead you can tap the icon with three dots stacked on top of each other.
  • Then tap Settings.
  • Scroll down until you see Bixby key and tap on it.
  • You're presented with two options, and to disable it you want to choose Don't open anything. When you go back to the Settings menu it should show No action in this box when the Bixby key is disabled.

Turning Bixby Key Back On

When the Bixby key is disabled the only other way to get into the Bixby app is by swiping in from the left hand side of the screen; this is, by defualt, part of Samsung's TouchWiz interface. This way you can access Bixby and toggle the Bixby key back on if you wish to.

However, in case your Bixby access via swiping is also switched off, we'll show you how to address that too.

  • On the main homescreen, hold press on a blank part of the wallpaper.
  • When the homescreen customisation UI pops up, keep scrolling left until you see the Bixby Home page; at the top of this page is a toggle.
  • Toggle this on if you want to be able to access Bixby with a swipe from the left, toggle it off if you want to disable this feature.

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